The Saudi Intellectual Property Authority (SAIP) has officially joined the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program in partnership with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), marking an important step forward in modernizing the patent prosecution process and reducing pending examinations. step.
Under the PPH pilot program, regardless of whether the applicant receives an affirmative ruling on a patent claim from the Saudi Intellectual Property Authority or the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, the applicant can request the other intellectual property office to expedite the examination of the corresponding claim. Additionally, the program allows either IP Office to reuse examination work previously completed by another IP Office.
As of January 2024, the Saudi Intellectual Property Administration has cooperated with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), the Japanese Patent Office (JPO), the China National Intellectual Property Office (CNIPA) and the European Patent Office ( EPO) signed the PPH agreement.
Design Law Amendment
Pursuant to Royal Decree No. (M/45) of 10/03/1445 AH (25 September 2023), the Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia has approved the Law on Patents, Layout-Designs of Integrated Circuits, Plant Varieties and Industrial Designs 》amendment.
The revised Patent and Industrial Design Law will come into effect on October 3, 2023.
The key modifications have had a significant impact on the scope of intellectual property protection, including:
- Allow protection based on international design applications and enforce the provisions of the Hague Agreement;
- Extend the design protection period to 15 years.
- The fees have been revised to require annual fees to be paid at the beginning of each year, except for international industrial model applications submitted under the Hague Agreement, for which fees are paid every five years.
- Increase the applicability of the Hague Agreement to applications for international registration of industrial designs.
Saudi Arabia has been selected as the host country for a diplomatic conference from November 11 to November 22, 2024 related to the Design Law Treaty, which aims to harmonize the registration procedures for industrial designs.
For further information, please contact:
Paul Muscat, Rouse
pmuscat@rouse.com
